Song of the Ultimate X
by firestorm2
Summary: Sequel to Where Darkness Gathers. Please R+R! (Firefox, Raven's in it.) :)*complete*
1. Default Chapter

Meeting  
  
"Uh, hi?" Coiled inside the zoid core, I open my eyes. *Shadow, some kid's here. * Shadow yawns and scrutinizes the boy. He looks promising. Liger adds input. {I think he may be the one who can manage to pilot us satisfactorily.}  
  
It's been three hundred years since we bonded. Fury is down on the bottom of the sea. The last I heard from him, he had been infected with a core virus. He's fighting it, but hasn't won yet. Astarael and Shadowrage are in the mountains. We visit each other often, but she hasn't made herself known to humans, as they probably will misuse Shadowrage's power. Besides, no one has met our criteria for a pilot, so we have a reputation as an unruly zoid.  
  
The boy is tied to a pole. Sandy blonde hair, green eyes. Impulsive, cocky. "Liger Zero." I look down on him. He struggles upright. "I bet you'd be a great zoid if you had the right pilot."  
  
I hack into the database. Name: Bit Cloud. Age: 16. *What do you reckon, Shadow? Take him for a test run? * Yes. We bend down and open the canopy. "You want me to be your pilot?" Duh.  
  
We're running on the grassy plain. Bit is yelling his head off in the cockpit. *Shadow? Liger? I think he'll do. He treats us like we're real, and not inanimate. * I feel them nod.  
  
2 weeks later........  
  
"Bit! Did you take my doughnut?!" Crashes echo through the Blitz Team base. Leena and Bit, as usual. I sigh and ready myself. Bit's going to come running in here, looking for an escape.  
  
A loud crunch hits my ears. A human shape indentation is in the wall. Ow. Well, the nutty professor is out with Jamie and Brad, and Bit and Leena are fighting. *Liger? Shadow? Ready to unmerge? * Affirmative. {Yes.}  
  
We fall out onto the floor and walk outside to sit on the mountain. The stars still are unchangeable as ever. I tally our victories and losses. 15 wins, 1loss against the Lightning Team. I could have won, but I have to lose once to get full power. The night wind swirls and passes.  
  
Bit limped into the hangar. Command Wolf, Gunsniper. He continued and stopped. His eyes bugged out in horror. "Liger!" He ran around in circles and stopped.  
  
"Leena?" She poked her head in. "Liger's gone! Can I borrow the jeep?" She stepped in. "Yes. But I'm going." He grimaced. "Fine."  
  
"There's Liger's tracks." Leena nodded. "Yeah." They got in the jeep and followed it to Mount Ranna.  
  
"I see him." Bit got ready to run forward in joy when something stopped him. Liger's leg was looking.. fat.  
  
*Time to go. * I step away. I hear breathing and turn. Bit. Our eyes lock.  
  
Bit stepped forward with Leena behind him. A shadow disconnected from the Liger's leg. It was a boy. A 16 to 18 year old, black hair, and strange amethyst eyes.  
  
The boy didn't move, just stared. Bit swallowed. "What.." he began. The boy yelled.  
  
"Shadow!" Something black leaped forward, grabbed the boy, and sped off. The Liger turned and ran toward the base.  
  
"Uh, Bit?" He turned. "What the hell was that?" He shook his head. "I don't know, Leena. I don't know." They drove back.  
  
"Doc!" The doc turned from his Raynos model. "Yes, Bit?" Bit and Leena stepped into the room. "Something very strange happened."  
  
"What?" Brad and Jamie walked in. They looked and sat down.  
  
"Me and Leena were fighting. I got hurt. Later, I walked into the hangar. Liger wasn't there. We got in the jeep and followed the tracks. We saw him, but his leg looked bigger than normal. I walked forward, and suddenly this boy about my age stepped away from Liger. He had wild black hair and purple eyes. We looked at him and he looked at us. He yelled 'Shadow!' This black thing grabbed him and ran away. And I'd like to know who he was, what the black thing was, and what they were doing with Liger."  
  
The Doc looked thoughtful. "It sounds like... no, that can't be." "What can't be?" Doc shook his head. "Never mind. We have a battle tomorrow, get some rest."  
  
Shadow and I fly toward Astarael's cave. We set down outside a rough granite wall with ivy. She walks out and runs forward to give me a hug. "You've gotten taller, Dragon. Where's Liger?"  
  
We sit on top of a ledge with Shadowrage and Shadow. "So, Bit saw you?" I nod. She frowns thoughtfully. "Well, they may know who you are, but I doubt they'll do anything about it." I lean back and give her a last hug before leaving to sneak back into the base.  
  
Shadow races across the desert with me on his back. The base comes into view and Liger roars. {Now you're back! Hurry, Brad's leaving!}  
  
Brad mobilized and ran out of the hangar. He settled back and pointed toward New Hope. ' Bit and Leena were probably hallucinating.' He mused. Something moved in the corner of his eye.  
  
His jaw dropped. The boy Bit was talking about, on something black. But before he could get a better look, the boy and the black thing leaped up, onto the mountain, and hid. "I'm sick, I'm seeing things." He turned and ran back into the base. 


	2. Default 2

We lope off the mountain, and leap to the top of the hangar. Liger looks up. {About time you got here.} Quickly we merge and settle down to await further developments.  
  
Bit sat in the Liger Zero Schneider's cockpit and watched Harry in his Dark Horn set up, and exult his praise for Leena, as usual. "Oh my sweet Leena! Now you shall accept that we are bound together by everlasting love!" Bit grimaced. 'Everlasting love my butt.'  
  
The Dark Horn charged forward. The Liger spun to the side and slashed at him with the side blades. The Dark Horn stumbled and fell. Harry sat in there and screamed like a baby. (A/N: I don't like Harry. Can you tell?)  
  
Brad ran at the Stealth Viper and shot it down with a well-placed bullet. Leena (Of course) went all out with her ammo and exploded the Heldigunner. A ricocheting piece of shrapnel veered off and hit the Liger Zero. "Watch it, Leena!"  
  
I groaned in pain as the shrapnel hit. It didn't hurt much, but enough to open a wound in my shoulder. Oh well. When the battle is over I can get some bandages from the base.  
  
I climbed up into the cockpit and rummaged around in the storage space. Blood poured off the gash in my shoulder. I found the bandages, wrapped it up, and remerged.  
  
"Doc! Have you seen my zoid gear?" "You left it in the Liger, Bit!" 'Oh yeah' He hauled himself up to the Liger and froze. Crimson everywhere, the shining shade of blood. He gawped and yelled. "DOC!"  
  
Doc Tauros sprinted into the hangar. "What is it?" In answer Bit maneuvered the Liger's head onto the floor. Leena, Brad, and Jamie peered over his shoulder and gasped at the blood. "I didn't get hurt, Doc. Do you think that boy had anything to do with it?" He shook his head. "I don't know. We can run a scan on the Liger, I guess."  
  
The Liger stood on the platform and slowly was pushed through the scanner. Everything was normal until they got to the middle. "Oh sh**" Doc breathed. Everyone crowded around and stared in awe.  
  
A black dinosaur was coiled in the middle with his eyes closed. Suddenly, one eye snapped open. They leaped back in time to prevent being bowled to the ground as the Liger opened his claws and destroyed the scanner with one slash.  
  
They stood frozen for a minute, until Bit grabbed the ladder and climbed into the cockpit, shutting down the system. "Whew. What was that?" Doc shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
2 days later..  
  
Harry stomped out to the battlefield. "Whoa." He heard the Blitz Team's gasps and smirked. "Do you like it? It's called the Crystalsaurer. It's a form of the Genosaurer."  
  
The Crystalsaurer was translucent light blue, and the light hit it and shattered into thousands of beams. Bit, in the Jager, ran forward and slashed with the Strike Laser Claw, but the CS grabbed him and swung him off. He hit a cliff, and slid to the bottom, the whole frame sparking and hissing.  
  
Leena used her Wild Weasel, but Harry threw up a shield. The missiles hit the shield and went back at her, destroying the Gunsniper's command system. Leena shrieked in anger.  
  
Brad sprinted forward and shot, but they glanced off the shield and hit the mountains. The Crystalsaurer hit him with the tail. His command system froze and shorted out.  
  
"Jamie, we're dead." Jamie shook his head. "No. The Liger's system hasn't frozen." The Crystalsaurer suddenly shot his claws out and grabbed the Liger. Electromagnetic pulses shot through the Liger. Bit didn't suffer, but he heard what sounded like a low moan from the inside of the Liger.  
  
Two foot locks snapped down, and the Crystalsaurer bent forward. The barrel extended and a ball of indigo energy gathered. It shot forward and ground into the Liger. They all screamed, but they knew he couldn't have survived that.  
  
"Oh. My. God." The Liger still stood, powerful and strong. But the camera in the cockpit showed that Bit was knocked out. The screens in all the zoids blipped. {Activating Apollyon.}  
  
"Dad, what's Apollyon?" He shook his head. "Apollyon means Destroyer, but that's all I know."  
  
Wind swirled in a maelstrom of dust around the Liger. Something erupted out of the wind. A black dragon, too fast to be seen, too ravenous to get close to. A last despairing scream was ripped from Harry's throat before the CS was gone and he was left gibbering in fear.  
  
Everyone stared in shock, fear, terror, and awe. The Liger spun and stared at the Hovercargo before roaring and bounding to the base.  
  
I picked up my sleeping pilot and carried him towards the door. But summoning Apollyon had weakened me, and it was all I could do to get him to his room and stagger back to merge.  
  
The team ran through the base, trying to find the missing pilot. A shuffling noise was heard and Bit was standing sleepily in the doorway. "Did we win?" They nodded. "How did you get to your room?"  
  
Bit shrugged. "I don't know. The last I can remember is seeing the energy grind into the Liger." Doc informed him, "The Liger Zero did this strange thing called Apollyon. He summoned a black dragon, which destroyed the CS, and all the area around for five miles, except for our zoids, transports, and the judge." They all yawned and trudged to their rooms to get some sleep. 


	3. Default 3

Bit walked into the hangar and stared at the Liger. "Liger, what was the Apollyon? What are you?" He shook his head. "What am I doing? It's not like you're alive."  
  
A silent voice echoed in his mind. {But I am.} He backed up. "Okay.. I'm sick. I'm hallucinating." He turned and ran out.  
  
"Shadow, is this guy stupid or what?" Shadow looked at me and mischief glittered in his eyes. *Not really. After all, we are a zoid, and I think your stupidity is what's causing him not to believe us.* I growled and tackled him.  
  
Bit stumbled out to the Liger. "Let's go for a run, partner. I mean, you're not really alive." He climbed into the cockpit and they set off at a run.  
  
Bit was running across the desert with Liger, dozing. He could trust Liger to keep running for the base. Suddenly, the controls jerked out of his hands.  
  
"Wha.." He sat up, alert. The controls spun and pushed on their own. "Liger, where are you taking me!?" The screen blipped. \To see a friend.\ His eyes widened. "I didn't really expect an answer." \Ha ha.\  
  
"Uh, are you really alive?" \Depends on who you're talking to.\ "Okay. In your opinion?" \I'm a lot more alive than you humans. I see the past, present and future. I have been alive for millennia. Hold on.\  
  
I leaped over the cliff, hanging in space. I heard Bit's sharp intake of breath, and we dropped. I landed on a rock and leaped from side to side, finally landing on a ledge that none but an ultimate X could get to.  
  
The Liger landed on a ledge. The canopy opened and Bit was lowered to the ground. The screen blipped one last time. \Get out.\  
  
He climbed out and stood on the ledge. "Hello, Bit Cloud." He spun around.  
  
I looked back at Bit. His eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled. I caught him and lowered him to the ground. "Well Shadow, do I really look that strange?" *Yes.* I swatted him playfully and we erupted into a full blown wrestling match.  
  
"Urgle.." Bit opened his eyes. Yells and roars were coming from his left. He turned and scrambled back. The Liger Zero was pinned on his back by a boy and a black zoid.  
  
I turned from Liger and looked at Bit. "Hello." He shook his head and gurgled. "I'm Raven, that baka is Shadow" I ducked the rock Shadow threw at me. "and that's Liger Zero."  
  
"Who are you?" I rolled my eyes. (He's acting like a baka, Shadow.) *Yep.* "My name is Raven. The black organoid is Shadow. You've met Liger." His eyes darted over us.  
  
Bit was freaked out, to say the least. A boy with shaggy black hair, amethyst eyes, and a strange red tattoo under his left eye, had been wrestling with a strange black dinosaur with sky blue eyes and Liger.  
  
Now he was talking about them as casually as if they were his cousins or something. "Uh.. that black dinosaur is what?" Raven sighed. "Shadow is an organoid. He merges with a zoid and increases its capabilities. Organoids all died out except for Shadow, and.. well, she's not really an organoid. But then, neither am I."  
  
"I have to go. Goodbye until next time, Bit Cloud." Shadow and I turned into the gold lightning and arced to the top of the cliff, where we watched Bit. He gurgled feebly, and fainted. "Liger, take him back to base, please."  
  
The Liger pounded into the hangar and dropped. Bit tumbled out. "Uh, bye, Liger?" He made his way to the main area. 


	4. Default 4

Shadow and I leaped to the top of the Tauros base, watching Bit and Leena chase each other, screaming at the top of their lungs. "Give me back my doughnut!" CRASH. Bit slammed into the wall and stretched out, full length, on the floor.  
  
{He'd better wake up; else we won't be ready for the Royal Cup.} Liger commented. Shadow agreed. (Quiet you two.) We moved to the center area. Bit staggered in, Leena was munching on her doughnut, Brad was being his stoic self, Doc was playing with his models, and Jamie was fretting about no one listening to his strategies.  
  
{So what's the plan for the royal cup, Dragon?} I dropped down into the air vents and slithered until I was behind the wall and staring through a grating into the room. (Listen through the link.)  
  
"Oh my poor Raynos, what have I done to you! Ahh!" Wonderful. Now Doc was hysterical. Jamie stood up. "As we all know, the Royal Cup is a large tournament between legitimate teams. The Backdraft has entered one, with one zoid, called the Berserk Fury."  
  
I heard Liger and Shadow's fear. [He must have lost to the core virus.] Shadow worried. (Yeah.) "Oh, Liger and I can beat them any day." Bit bragged. I grinned. (With my help.)  
  
I turned to leave, but my foot slammed into the side of the shaft. I cursed silently. "What was that!?" Jamie stuck his head into the vent and shrieked. "There's someone in here!"  
  
Perfect. I slid down the passage with Bit slithering after me. (Shadow, Liger, they've seen me. Get ready.) {Roger.} [Yessir.] "Come back here!" Bit yelled.  
  
I hauled myself up onto the roof and swung onto Shadow's back. Shadow cocked his eye at Bit before leaping over the edge of the roof. We fell, and landed.  
  
Weeoo! Weeooo! Sirens shrieked and lights crossed the evening. The Shadowfox and Gunsniper ran out of the hangar. Bit sprinted down the stairs and slid to a stop.  
  
The boy and black dinosaur stood at ease, surrounded by Leena and Brad. "Who are you?" Leena interrogated. The boy looked at her with amethyst eyes, amusement evident in them. He didn't answer.  
  
Bit stepped into the circle, and glared at the boy. He looked about the same age as himself, but who could tell? Brad stepped forward and quickly grabbed the boy's arms and pinned them. The boy did nothing, just glanced at the black dinosaur beside him.  
  
"Well, Shadow. Reckon I should get out, let you do it, or wait for Liger?" The dinosaur's sky blue eyes glinted in the light. He opened his mouth, revealing long fangs, and made a roaring sound. "Hmm. Guess you're right."  
  
The boy flexed his arms, muscle swelling underneath Brad's fingers. They all stared as the boy freed himself with a quick jerk, moving effortlessly. The eyes glanced at Leena. "To answer your question, let's just say I'm an old settler in these parts."  
  
He laughed, swung onto the black thing's smooth back, and took off into the night skies. The silence was broken by Doc. "Guys? I'm hungry." *everyone falls over anime-style. *  
  
We set down in front of Astarael's cave. Shadowrage bounded down from the rocks, skidding to a stop in front of us. *Hi. * "Hey." [Hello.] *Astarael's coming. She just had to deal with a battalion of Rev Raptors. *  
  
Astarael slipped down from the rocks, her face breaking into a smile of delight. "Raven!" She threw herself off the rocks, landing in my arms. I kissed her soundly before setting her down.  
  
"Are you going to be in the Royal Cup?" We were sitting out on the rocks, watching the stars come out. She laughed and shook her head. "Nah, the competition would be too weak. Except for you." I smiled, lying back with my girlfriend in my arms. I hadn't forgotten how she and I had defeated Van, Hiltz, Reese, and all the others.  
  
And what I would never forget was how she had been given second life. She yawned and I looked down at her. The emerald eyes glinted in the starlight. "Tired?" She nodded. I leaned back against the rocks and dropped off into sleep.  
  
/Mist curling, wrapping around me. The dragons soar across the moons, an alien landscape. Grass waves, mountains move, a star shines. The star glints red, a beacon.  
  
Apollyon soars downward, coming to a graceful halt in front of me. He smiles, joyful, now that he has been returned to the Realm of the Flame. I look to the west, and see Astarael's grinning face.  
  
I look to the east. The grasses are a strange, unearthly shade of indigo. The moons glow a faint black, dimly shining. The sky. Colors shift across it, never staying the same. Green, yellow, orange, red, all of them, and some that I have no name for.  
  
Shadow walks by me, Liger also. I look up, and I remember. You will live, little two-legs. For someone must cross between worlds, speak our languages. You and your partners, for as long as you shall live. Listen, little two-legs, for the key to the Realm.  
  
Oh tongue, give sound to joy and sing, Of hope and promise on dragonwing.  
  
Black, blacker, blackest, And cold beyond all frozen things, Where is between when there is naught, To life but fragile dragon wings?  
  
A fleck of red in the cold night sky, A drop of blood to guide them by, Turn, turn, turn away, be gone, The Red Star guides the travelers on.  
  
Oh tongue, give sound to joy and sing, Of hope and promise on dragonwing./ 


	5. Default 5

The Arrival  
  
FS- Hi, all! Thanks for the reviews SO much! It really means a lot that you'd pay attention to the ramblings of a thirteen year old. Shadow- Anyway, in this chapter, Raven gets a message from Fury, I play a prank on Bit, and then I raid the fridge! Raven- FS no own, you no sue.  
  
Raven- *blah* Shadow- (blah) Liger- [blah] Fury- ~blah~  
  
I sat on top of Liger, scouting the area. I extended my mind over the Hovercargo. I smiled at my sleeping pilots snoring, shaking his room like an earthquake. Shadow was inside Liger's core, sleeping with his tail twitching restlessly. Liger was also asleep. I was the only one awake in the Hovercargo.  
  
~Raven!~ I sat bolt upright. *Fury? * ~Raven, I'm going to be at the Cup. Listen and don't interrupt. The Backdraft has given me an organoid and a pilot. When I see you, I probably won't be able to recognize you. The virus has taken over my core. It.. ughh. fights. Vega's coming, I have to go!~ Abruptly the mind link was cut off, leaving me with much to think about.  
  
Bit sat sleepily in his chair, blinking. "We've arrived!" A far too perky Doc informed them.  
  
(What genius! Of course we've arrived, I'm not blind. Even a Molga could see all the transports!) Came a grumpy voice in his head.  
  
He yelped and leaped up. They all looked at him with quizzical expressions on their faces. "Umm.. Sorry." He muttered, sitting down. "Anyway, I found some info on the black dinosaur. "  
  
"It appears to be a old machine called an Organoid. Machine is not really the correct term, because each specimen contained organic material. They have not existed since the great war betweens the Helics and The Guylos Empire."  
  
(Old?! I am NOT old! I am still 16 years old.) *Please be quiet Shadow.* [Yes. Even I, a Liger, can see that you're purposely sending to Bit.] He looked around in puzzlement. Where were those voices coming from? Or was he going insane? Nahhh. Doc chattered on, unaware of the discussion going on in the hangar.  
  
I slowly explained to Liger and Shadow that no, Fury wouldn't recognize us, yes, I was planning to have Astarael around for backup, and no, Shadow could not go waltzing into the kitchen to get something to eat.  
  
(But Raven! I'm HUNGRY!) I sighed and flopped onto my back. We were in between Liger's ion boosters, seeing as it offered the most security. *Shadow, ever since we merged, we do not have to eat, we just like to. But if you insist, here.*  
  
I tossed him a key to the door of the kitchen. He caught it and grinned before prancing off to the fridge.  
  
Leena walked down the hall to the kitchen. A "click" was heard and light flooded the room. "Bit." She growled. An evil grin spread over her face as she crouched down to spring.  
  
Shadow rummaged through the fridge, looking for a special item. He found the cookies and gripped them in his claws while he held the donuts in his mouth.  
  
Leena peered around the edge of the counter and screeched. "Ahhhhh!"  
  
Miles away in time and space, in another dimension, Heero Yuy woke with a start. 'Was that Relena?' {AN: Sorry, my little brother is obsessed with Gundam Wing.}  
  
I lifted my head in time to see Shadow come scrabbling in, donuts and cookies flying everywhere. An angry Leena, frothing at the mouth and followed by the one and only (thank god) Doc followed him.  
  
"You there! Organoid!" Doc called in imitation of a stern voice. Shadow stopped and peered at him. "Why are you hanging around us and stealing my cookies!?" Leena screeched like a banshee.  
  
Shadow answered sarcastically. (Oh pulleezz. "I've hung around" this base for as long as you've had Bit here. As for why am I stealing your cookies, I was hungry.)  
  
His boosters flared and he shot out of the hangar. *Nice answer Shadow. They'll be stuck for a long time torturing Bit.* (Well, when are YOU going to show them who you are?) Hmm. Good question.  
  
*Probably at the Royal Cup.* (Good.) I could hear his smackings and crunching. Rrrrr. I looked over the edge of the boosters. Leena was chasing Doc around with his chainsaw that he bought when she was having delusions of a "Chainsaw Man."  
  
[Dragon, does Leena really mean to hurt Doc with that thing?] Liger often asked me questions about human nature, even though I'm a zoidian. Doc's screaming reached our ears. *Does that answer your question? * 


	6. Default 6

The Arrival  
  
FS- Hi, all! Thanks for the reviews SO much! It really means a lot that you'd pay attention to the ramblings of a thirteen year old. Shadow- Anyway, in this chapter, Raven gets a message from Fury, I play a prank on Bit, and then I raid the fridge! Raven- FS no own, you no sue.  
  
Raven- *blah* Shadow- (blah) Liger- [blah] Fury- ~blah~  
  
I sat on top of Liger, scouting the area. I extended my mind over the Hovercargo. I smiled at my sleeping pilots snoring, shaking his room like an earthquake. Shadow was inside Liger's core, sleeping with his tail twitching restlessly. Liger was also asleep. I was the only one awake in the Hovercargo.  
  
~Raven!~ I sat bolt upright. *Fury? * ~Raven, I'm going to be at the Cup. Listen and don't interrupt. The Backdraft has given me an organoid and a pilot. When I see you, I probably won't be able to recognize you. The virus has taken over my core. It.. ughh. fights. Vega's coming, I have to go!~ Abruptly the mind link was cut off, leaving me with much to think about.  
  
Bit sat sleepily in his chair, blinking. "We've arrived!" A far too perky Doc informed them.  
  
(What genius! Of course we've arrived, I'm not blind. Even a Molga could see all the transports!) Came a grumpy voice in his head.  
  
He yelped and leaped up. They all looked at him with quizzical expressions on their faces. "Umm.. Sorry." He muttered, sitting down. "Anyway, I found some info on the black dinosaur. "  
  
"It appears to be an old machine called an Organoid. Machine is not really the correct term, because each specimen contained organic material. They have not existed since the great war betweens the Helics and The Guylos Empire."  
  
(Old?! I am NOT old! I am still 16 years old.) *Please be quiet Shadow.* [Yes. Even I, a Liger, can see that you're purposely sending to Bit.] He looked around in puzzlement. Where were those voices coming from? Or was he going insane? Nahhh. Doc chattered on, unaware of the discussion going on in the hangar.  
  
I slowly explained to Liger and Shadow that no, Fury wouldn't recognize us, yes, I was planning to have Astarael around for backup, and no, Shadow could not go waltzing into the kitchen to get something to eat.  
  
(But Raven! I'm HUNGRY!) I sighed and flopped onto my back. We were in between Liger's ion boosters, seeing as it offered the most security. *Shadow, ever since we merged, we do not have to eat, we just like to. But if you insist, here.*  
  
I tossed him a key to the door of the kitchen. He caught it and grinned before prancing off to the fridge.  
  
Leena walked down the hall to the kitchen. A "click" was heard and light flooded the room. "Bit." She growled. An evil grin spread over her face as she crouched down to spring.  
  
Shadow rummaged through the fridge, looking for a special item. He found the cookies and gripped them in his claws while he held the donuts in his mouth.  
  
Leena peered around the edge of the counter and screeched. "Ahhhhh!"  
  
I lifted my head in time to see Shadow come scrabbling in, donuts and cookies flying everywhere. Leena chased him, frothing at the mouth and screaming like a banshee. The rest of the Blitz Team stuck their heads in, paled visibly at the sight of Leena, and ran back to their rooms.  
  
Doc was trying to calm Leena down. "Organoid! Why are you haunting us?" Shadow answered sarcastically. (For your information psycho, I am not haunting you. I am alive. ALIVE! Now, I must gorge on sweets. Goodbye.)  
  
His boosters opened and he shot out of the hangar. *Shadow? * (Snorf grawl chomp.) A whirring noise was heard. [Dragon, would Leena really threaten her dad with a chainsaw?] Liger asked.  
  
Screaming was heard. *Does that answer your question? * [Yes.] 


	7. Default 7

The Cup  
  
FS-Hi, everyone! Now, the Royal Cup starts! Dun-dun-dah! I'm not totally sure about the order of armors and the teams, so please don't flame me if I get some stuff wrong. Battle #1! Raven/Shadow/Liger, in Jager, against the Lightning Team! I'm sure all of you know that reviews are a fan-fic writer's lifeblood, so pulleezz review!?*Pulls out a bazooka* or I will smash you into little pieces!  
  
Raven- *blah* Liger- [blah] Shadow- blah Shadowrage- /blah/ Astarael- {blah}  
  
"Mobilizing Liger Jager!" We flew into the air, with Brad and Leena following. "We need to get five codes, to learn the location of the finish line." Doc informed us. Five? *Five.* I confirmed. Liger continued running across the plains, but I was sure he was listening to every word.  
  
Bit sat in the cockpit, the first tremblings of excitement in his stomach. He sat back and considered the effects of winning. If he won, the Blitz Team would have fame and wealth. And maybe.. he would learn the answers to the enigma that was Liger Zero. Liger Zero.. his friend, his partner, his buddy, and a machine.  
  
Or was he? The black shadow, the strange boy, the voices in his head; they all were hints of a larger entity, one with power beyond imagining. "BIT!" Leena's voice crackled into life. "I've been trying to reach you for the last fifteen minutes!" "Sorry, Leena." He replied automatically.  
  
"Blitz Team. Your first opponent is. scanning, scanning, the Lightning Team!" The judge blared over the battlefield. Brad groaned, Leena shrieked, and Bit felt a stirring of fear. But the fear was swallowed in a wave of excitement to battle his rival, Jack Sisco, where the stakes were so much higher.  
  
[Lightning Siax.] The three members prowled onto the field; I felt Shadow's growl, felt my hackles rise, and heard Bit's thoughts. 'O why oh why oh why did we have to get them for the first match! I mean, Harry I could deal with, he'd be so obsessed with Leena it would take one shot!'  
  
"Bit Cloud. We meet again." "Jack." Time stood still; and then the zoids erupted into action. The lightning siax formed into formation, racing madly over the plains, depending on speed and not on stealth or power. I ran over our options.  
  
Brad. Not much firepower, but stealth and enough speed to matter, plus strike laser claw. The only liability was his armor. It was light, and could only take a few hits. Definitely designed for hit-and-run.  
  
Leena. Slow, clumsy. But it had lots of firepower, fairly good armor, and a sense of timing. The weakness was the pilot. She was hotheaded, rushed into things, and depended on ammo. She also had a very big tendency to waste ammunition.  
  
Us. We had almost no weapons, good armor, speed as good as Jack's Siax, and the intelligence to use it to our advantage. Good enough. But we had to let Bit think he'd beaten Jack. I remembered Liger's trick, all those centuries ago, when he had crushed Irvine's zoid. I could do that too, now, but almost invariably, if we performed it in front of all the people watching, there would be inquiries into our source of power.  
  
No. Bit had to do it, trusting in his innate skill, His cunning, his luck, in us, and for the others to destroy the Tasker twins. As much as I hated the fact, Bit had to take control. All these thoughts took place in a second, before Jack split from the twins and ran for the edge.  
  
The boosters hummed, Liger flexed his claws, and we were running! Side by side, we raced the wind, gravity pulling at us, slamming us backwards. {Raven?} I grinned, right on time. *Yeah?* {Shadowrage and I are in position.} /The Fury and his pilot are destroying all opposition./*Okay, thanks for watching. See ya.* The mind-link cut off, leaving me to focus on the gorge ahead.  
  
Bit shook in his seat, exerting all his control on Liger. Warnings that he was approaching the edge of the battlefield bleeped in his ears. He ground his teeth together as they leaped! Hanging in space, suspended over air, the Liger landed, righted itself, raced into the forest.  
  
Jack skidded to a stop, looking frantically around him. "Damn you, Bit Cloud," he swore under his breath. The Taskers were out of the cup. A roar cut the still air, as the Liger dropped onto him, claws outstretched, glowing.  
  
The Siax roared, high and keening, death's rattle. Jack sat, stunned. The almighty king of mercenaries had been beaten. He hauled himself out of the cockpit and walked over to the Liger's pilot. "Good job, Bit Cloud." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks." The Liger walked back to the Hovercargo, where the Blitz received the first code.  
  
Inside the Liger, I smiled. Bit had won, we had the first code, and I was closer to my objective of fixing Fury. Personally, I hoped we didn't have to use the Panzer armor. I hated it, the cold, dead weight. The next battle I hoped would be more entertaining.  
  
FS- Next, Leon and the Red Blade Liger, in Scheinder! See ya! 


	8. Default 8

FS- Raven meets Fury and Vega for the first time, and they battle. And Firefox, Frank Moore, I'd like to apologize about the chapters. And Firefox, the answer to your question.  
  
Raven- I have no idea, but if he fights, I will crush him, just like that baka Flyheight!  
  
The Fury  
  
Vega sat back in the Fury's cockpit. He smiled to himself before entering the coordinates. "Let's go, Fury." He loved his zoid, and the Royal Cup was exciting. A smirk spread across his face as they roared off across the desert.  
  
Fury battled desperately to defeat the virus. It spread through his core, infecting all it touched. And what was worse, he recognized the DNA signature of the virus. It was Drakan, the leader of Astarael's clan, and a deadly and evil pilot.  
  
Bit sat in the Liger, feeling the mighty zoid's joints creak and bend as they struggled to support the heavy weight. Doc's voice reverberated in the huge chamber. "Okay, we have the coordinates. However, it seems that another team is a few steps ahead of us." Bit shouted up through the com- link, "We've come too far to give up now!"  
  
I flattened myself out on the zoid core. The armor was so heavy, and I could feel it, the cold, icy dead weight. I cursed silently. Why couldn't we have used the basic armor? It was so much better than the Panzer! Shit, shit, shit...  
  
The Fury roared, shaking the earth, deafening the members of the Blitz Team. "It just had to be our biggest rival, and right before the finish line." Leena muttered. "You didn't really think it would be Harry out there?" Bit retorted.  
  
Leena chewed restlessly at her lip, remembering what Dr. Layon had told her. "Liger Zero is... an ultimate X. He memorizes opponent's ...moves, and uses it to ....his advantage. ..Be ...careful, Leena... Liger Zero is so much more than you can even imagine.." His voice had trailed off. What had he meant by that last revelation?  
  
The Shadowfox launched out into the summer skies, soaring upward and falling to earth in a crash of dust. Vega chuckled and crouched low. The side of the Hovercargo lifted down, smashing the earth to balance the Panzer.  
  
We slid out, and slipped backwards, gouging deep cracks in the ground, roaring in a desperate attempt to balance the weight. Brad bounded forward, leaped upward, shadowing the sun, claws glowing, and came down in a flash of sparks. Fury.. his armor was white, sleek, and much toughed than it appeared. But his eyes..  
  
Gone was the friendliness that had dwelled at the bottom, gone was his sense of right and wrong. In return, there was darkness, shadows, malevolence, and evil. His tail swung aroung, sending the Shadowfox skidding off.  
  
Bit yelled as Brad was sent flying. "Your Shadowfox doesn't stand a chance against the Berserk Fury." Vega laughed. "Don't be so sure." He gritted out. Orange particles gathered around the immense cannon on his back.  
  
I dug my fingers into the zoid core as we went skidding backwards, and Fury went up in a cloud of dust. "Fool!" I whispered. Fury's shield was equipped to handle more than that. I heard a shout from Leena and glanced up.  
  
Bit gaped at the two figures that had appeared on a ridge. One was a wolf zoid, a black so dark it seemed to absorb the surrounding light, with deadly golden eyes, and five blades. The other was a girl who leaned against the leg of the zoid. Her ebony hair blew in the wind, revealing eyes so green and deep you felt lost when you looked at them. They revealed no emotion whatsoever.  
  
She wore military fatigues and black combat boots, and a black tank top. He shook his head and returned to the battle. The Berserk Fury stomped out of the dust, a shield of rose between Liger and it.  
  
"Good shot!" Vega said. "I have to admit, your new armor packs a more powerful punch than the others. However.." His voice dropped, "You don't have enough maneuverability!" The Fury shot forward in a blur of white, sending the Liger Zero smashing to earth.  
  
I struggled to my feet. Bleeping rose in my ears, and I looked to the skies. A judge satellite was falling. It would be level 9 destruction over an extensive area! The Fury charged up, and it fired!  
  
Blue-white crossed the day, seared the skies. Slowly, so slowly, it whittled away at the satellite. But it survived, and broke apart. I roared loudly, as my missiles were fired, and smoke crossed the blue. The temperature shot up, as we jettisoned the armor before we all died.  
  
"Jamie!" Doc shouted. "Give me a power level on that wolf zoid!" Jamie's fingers flew across the keys, and he paled. "It's off the charts! It could destroy the planet! Notify the ZBC!"  
  
The chairman sat calmly, as a storm of fear raged around him. "Sir!" An orderly ran up to him and collapsed. "The power level!" he panted. The chairman scanned it, and his eyes widened as his mouth dropped. He looked up at the picture of the dark zoid. That zoid, and the young teen that stood by it, were unstoppable! He didn't recognize the zoid or the pilot, though. "Mr. Chairman! What do we do!?" He considered. "Wait. We cannot attack. That zoid could destroy us all in a twitch. Yes, we must wait."  
  
Unarmed, I stood. I needed to get to the Hovercargo! The Fury stomped forward, and Brad fired. I ran for the Hovercargo and changed, in time to see Fury dispatch Brad and face Astarael. 


	9. Default 9

The Fury stomped over the ground, and swung its head up, looking toward the black figures of Astarael and Shadowrage. A rasping, evil voice whispered into all of the minds of every being on Zi. There is no day so dark it hissed that it cannot grow darker; No being so strong it cannot be crushed. Or are you immortal, Death Wolf? Blue-white seared through the clear day, and I screamed.  
  
The tiny figure of the dark zoid crumpled and fell with a heart-rending cry, a cry cut off with the finality pf death. Astarael reached frantically for Shadowrage, but he was gone. A greater power than hers wrenched him away from her.  
  
It was not sound as such, that cut across the senses of every living creature on the field, but pain. It was a cry of anguish, of grief, of terror; it triggered the worst memories of every person on the field, and sent them reeling. It went on and on, a grief like a sword cutting them in a million pieces.  
  
-and it was not sane.  
  
A wave of pure malevolence rolled over Astarael, overwhelming the slim protection she had. The pain of the evil blinded her, threw her to her knees, and drove into her belly like a knife.  
  
Blind.  
  
Deaf.  
  
Mute.  
  
Paralyzed.  
  
Devoured by agony.  
  
She fought for a handhold in that sudden sea of horror, a single point on which she could concentrate, a single piece of debris in her shattered world that she could use to keep herself from drowning in madness.  
  
Focus.  
  
Raven.  
  
He reached for her, he tried to save her, but she was battered. She saw the agony in his clear amethyst eyes as he reached, but to no avail.  
  
She was with the pain, in the pain, made of pain for an instant that was an eternity, while her blood boiled and her skin burned and a fire erupted inside of her that was hotter than the particles that had destroyed the world around her.  
  
Then.....  
  
Nothing.  
  
  
  
Did'ja like? I have an idea about why Raven and Vega look so much alike, but the timeline might be messed up, and some other stuff. Anyway, review! 


	10. Default 10

The Vengeance  
  
FS- Hello, everyone! Umm... my sis is posting on fanfiction.net, so check out her story, if you want to. It's called "Rare Blood." Back to Song of the Ultimate X! In this chapter, will Raven and Shadow be able to activate the Hellfire, and if so, what will happen to Astarael, now that Shadowrage is gone?  
  
Song of the Ultimate X- The Vengeance  
  
Bit heard a scream from the inside of Liger Zero, and suddenly, Liger bounded forward, leaping. Bit struggled, but Liger was no longer under his control. Bleeping reached his ears and he glanced at the screen. A terse message scrolled across it. Two words.  
  
(Get out.)  
  
In the Hovercargo, Leena, Doc, and Jamie stared at the words. Silence. Silence. It was broken by a shriek from Leena. "What the HELL is going on here!?"  
  
Bit stared. He had thought that Liger was under his control, and here, it was ordering him to get out! Zoids were supposed to be inanimate, for Christ's sake! Oh sure, they had programmed responses, like roaring in pain, and roaring in triumph, but this!?  
  
The Chairman stared. "What do we do, Sir?" A terrified young orderly blurted. "I don't know," he said blankly, bleakly. "I don't know. There's no precedent." Action stopped. Papers fluttered to the floor as the crew of the Ultrasaurus stared in shock. Their chief had no idea what to do. This had never happened, not in the history of the ZBC.  
  
Bit climbed out slowly, in a daze. The Liger's head turned around, and it looked at him for a millisecond before turning back to the Fury. He ran, panting, into the central-area-battle- watcher-area-thingy. No one turned to greet him; they were all staring at the Liger.  
  
A message appeared, glowing, on the screen. (Activate your shield. Put all power into it.) Jamie tapped out aquestion. {What are you?} An earth- shaking growl reverberated through the room, as the Liger sent back a response. (Never mind that, DO IT!) Power poured into the shield, as Jamie sat and looked at the first ever correspondence in mind of communicating with a zoid.  
  
Astarael was nothing. Astarael was everything. Astarael was a gaping, empty abyss of grief and anguish and despair. I felt my gut wrench as so much raw emotion poured into my mind. Was this what those verses meant, that Shadowrage would die, so that two others would live? Liger's calm voice broke through my wildly spinning thoughts. [We must attack. There will be time enough for mourning Shadowrage when victory is assured.]  
  
The Fury watched in horror, as blue-white particles seared through the bright sky, destroying his best friend in an instant. Guilt settled in him, horrible, heavy guilt. Damn you Drakan! His mind raged. Damn you to the seven hells!  
  
*Shadow!* Yeah? *Activate Hellfire!* There was a pause. I can't. You have to remember exactly how you felt when Astarael died. I died inside. Remember all the pain, guilt, and horror? I had to.  
  
Flashback  
  
The charged particle cannon warms up, whirring. Visions of Astarael, Blind Seer, my parents, and Liger and Shadow race through my mind. I silently apologize to each, especially Astarael. I wasn't able to keep my promise. And then I let it all go. and said goodbye.  
  
The Guardian Force watched in horror from the cliffs, knowing that nothing could save Raven now. A flicker of movement caught the GFs eyes, and they turned their heads. The girl, Astarael, was sprinting for Raven. Running faster than anything they had seen, she was a blur of motion. She reached the Liger and climbed up. She closed her eyes and waited.  
  
[Astarael! Please get down from there!] My mind screamed. *No.* She replied. *Do you want to know why I will give my life to save you? * I listened, knowing she was determined to die. I wanted to ease her passing in any way I could. * You're a zoidian. * What!? * Yes. You are a zoidian, one of the Wild. You and I are the last of our kind. Do not worry. I'll come back, beloved. I'll come back. *  
  
She turned her face to me and her eyes glittered dark with unshed tears. She hugged me and then closed her eyes. Determined to make the ultimate sacrifice, to save my life.  
  
Van and the others watched, knowing that Raven had found love, to lose it once again. The girl glowed golden, her form blurring around the edges, and then she flowed like a liquid into the Liger. Her last sound was a howl, long and keening, that somehow spoke of the sacrifice she was making, and the will to die.  
  
The DS glowed bright, and unleashed the CPB. They heard a scream, that brought their worst memories back to torture them and sent them to their knees on the rock. Beams of fire, ice, and earth streamed into the Liger. The smoke cleared and the Liger stood there, a shield of bright glowing gold interposed between the beam and Raven.  
  
The beam canceled out and the Liger stood, powerful and strong. A small form fell from the liger. It was Astarael! She stood shakily, and turned to Raven.  
  
I stood there, paralyzed, as she turned to me. She smiled, and spoke. "I love you, Raven." Suddenly, the DS fired an exploding bullet. It ripped a hole in her body. I screamed for her, knowing for that as long as I lived, I would see her falling, as Blind Seer had fallen. Silently, endlessly, forever.  
  
She slid to the ground, pain in her eyes. No. No. This is a dream. I'll wake up in my room at Zoid's Eve, and she'll be there. But my eyes denied my thoughts. She lay on the ground, crimson spreading in a pool beneath her. Her pain-filled gaze met mine. * I.. love you. *Then she was gone.  
  
End Flashback  
  
Before I blacked out, I called Vega up on the com-link. He stared silently, in shock and disbelief. I was sitting inside of Liger, on top of the core, with Shadow's pointed face peering over my shoulder.  
  
Vega stared in numbness. Absurdly, his thoughts flicked back to his family. He had never known who they were; for all intents and purposes Sarah was his family. But here was a teenager, young man really, who had the same thin face, the same high cheekbones, the same purple eyes that shifted to gray, the same ebony hair hanging haphazardly. The last things that he heard himself say before succumbing to the darkness, was two words.  
  
"Hello..... Father."  
  
FS-What did you think? I won't be updating for a while, as my exams start Monday. But I'll try my best to have the next chapter up by the 29th or so. You know the drill, read and review! Cya! 


	11. Default 11

The Liger was glowing red, the same shade as heart's blood spilt upon the sands. The light expanded, covered the battlefield, blinding everyone, and dissipated. What was left was still Liger, but crimson, with black eyes that showed distant constellations. Two dark blades were on its back, folded up and extending beyond it's tail.  
  
Everyone on Zi had tuned their television to the Royal Cup channel, and were watching the two superpowers in trepidation. The Chairman called the Liger. "Who or what are you?!" A black pointed face peered at him. *Me? Or him? Or Liger?* "All of you!!" He screamed. *Ohhh.* The Chairman ground his teeth. He had the distinct feeling that this thing was teasing him, and enjoying every second of it.  
  
I sat up, blinking. Shadow was talking to the ZBC, I was getting ready to attack, and Liger was stalking around the Berserk Fury, growling angrily. Shadow was snorting in hysteria as everyone in the Ultrasaururus crowded around the Chairman, with one sitting in his lap and furiously scribbling. *Eeeny meeny miny mo, I'll tell you what you don't want to know!* "Huh?" They responded. {Shadow...} I groaned. {Is this the time?} *Yes, it's fun!* {WHY did I have to get such an insane organoid!}  
  
"I'll ask you one last time, WHO ARE YOU THINGS!" The black saurian thing cocked its head. *My name is or was or will be Shadow. His name, * indicating the Liger, *is or was or will be Liger Zero, and him?* indicating the boy, *I'll let you figure it out.* The Chairman ground his teeth.  
  
Liger established a com-link to the Fury. {Why are you doing this?} I asked. The rasping, evil voice replied, \While you enjoy the game of battling, and long, long ago you enjoyed the game of killing, I enjoy the game of genocide. I will destroy you, I will destroy Bit, I will destroy everything dear to you, and when I have killed and killed and killed until there is nothing left in the universe, I will destroy myself, and then one day, a new race will rise, one that does not battle for fun.\  
  
I was silent. This person was insane, and yet, I couldn't help but admit I missed the days when I was fighting for my life. When that was gone, and we fought for money and fame, something was lost. The risk was gone. I raised my head, and looked into the cold eyes of the leader of my long-ago clan.  
  
Drakan had orange hair, ice blue eyes that had nothing in them but madness, and a wild, feral grin. I had to kill him, I had to destroy him, but without killing Fury or my son. My son. We had let him make his own way in the world, watching from afar, letting him choose. He was a wonderful pilot, and a wonderful person, but his zoid was corrupted.  
  
Liger was trembling in eagerness, I could feel the power of the Hellfire flowing in my veins, but I held him back, waiting. Shadow curled around the core, I dug my fingers in, and with a roar of rage, we attacked!  
  
The Blitz Team was watching through the shield, they were the only ones within a hundred mile radius of the Liger and the Fury, and the red Liger left the ground. The Fury leapt into the air, the two zoids clashed, the air trembling.  
  
Bit was silent, while all the others were yelling. Doc about how cool the red Liger was, Brad about money, Leena about how they were all going to die, and Jamie about how they should all focus.  
  
High above Zi, in the Whaleking, Sarah was numb. This was NOT her day! "Ma'am! Vega is blacked out!" Her fingers curled tighter around the radio.  
  
The two zoids separated and fell back. The Liger roared, all the power of muscle and bone and claw and tooth, all the ruthlessness of nature and survival of the fittest, all the ageless, never-ending lust for conquest, wrapped into one awesome roar.  
  
The red zoid flowed forward like water, smooth and deceptively fast. The two blades swung down, by its side but not opened, while the Fury fired blue beams. Liger leaned to the side, flicking one or two closer ones away with the blades, fanned them open, leaped into the air, and plummeted.  
  
There was a new element of ferocity to the battle, one that had not been seen since the days of the Guardian Force, three centuries ago. An element that was lent to it by the certainty that if you were off your feet for one second, you were dead.  
  
The Fury swung its head up, clamping onto a blade, and chewing relentlessly. I gritted my teeth and leaned to the right, Liger leaning in the same direction. Shadow diverted the power into the blade, it hummed and glowed black; the humming grew louder, shriller, as the blade slowly, slowly, forced its way into the Fury's head, sending the top half, the cockpit half, onto the ground.  
  
I looked down and batted it away as gently as I could before clashing again. The two blades snapped as I swiped at the Fury's leg, sending waves of pain down my spine. I shuddered and looked back up. The Fury was tottering, this was the perfect time to end it, but I wouldn't.  
  
I called up Drakan. He was pale and sweating, and angry. I felt the familiar smirk that I always had used on Van spread across my face. " Well, Drakan. I could destroy you right where you stand, but I think I'll wait. What do you say to one last duel of Charged Particle Beams?" He nodded, as I clamped down into the earth.  
  
FS- What did you think? Next chapter, The Armageddon! Cya!  
  
P.S. I don't own Zoids, or Raven. Wahh! However, I do own my closetful of Raven, Shadow, and dead Van plushies! 


	12. Default 12

The Armageddon  
  
FS- Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the kind reviews; you guys don't know how happy they made me! Well, maybe you do, FireFox, since you're a writer as well. Okay, what to say, what to say, aha! Minions! *Two FBI type dudes go out and come back, dragging a sulking Shadow.* Shadow, say the disclaimer.  
  
Shadow- What's in it for me?  
  
FS- whisper whisper whisper COOKIES whisper whisper.  
  
Shadow- firestorm does not own me, Raven, or any content contained here, except for the Hellfire, the plot, Astarael, the Wild zoidians, Shadowrage, Drakan, and the Epsilon, Phoenix, and Hellion armors used in the prequel to this story. However, she is perfectly happy if you decide to use these, so long as you say something about her. *DEEP breath* Satisfied?  
  
Raven- {blah}  
  
Shadow-*blah*  
  
Liger- [blah]  
  
Drakan- /blah/  
  
Four panels on the back of the red Liger's legs slid up, and a clamp hit the earth, drilling in so firmly that nothing short of a overwhelming Charged Particle blast would shift it. Doc Tauros, for the first (and maybe only) time, had an idea.  
  
"Jamie, shut down all power in the Hovercargo! Pour all the power into the shield! Hurry!" Jamie complied quickly. Everyone except Bit got on the floor with their arms over their heads. Bit stood tall, absently flicking a stray strand of blond hair as he watched. He had thought he knew everything about Liger Zero, and now... Well, he was sorry. Liger had saved their lives in so many battles, and Bit had thought he was the one to do it. Liger had allowed him, an untrained, untried boy of seventeen, to pilot him. What did Liger see in him? He wondered.  
  
The ZBC headquarters was utter chaos. "SIR! What can we do? Those zoids look like their going to start a Charged Particle Cannon duel! They'll destroy the planet!" The Chairman considered. He could not stand against them, but neither could he do nothing. First and foremost, he must protect the people and Zi. Second, he must end this mad duel. He sighed. "Ready the Whalekings. Leave enough of the interns here to operate the Ultrasaurus. We cannot stop them, but we can try to protect the people." The people of the ZBC poured into the white Whalekings, lifting off and heading to the south in a cloud of dust.  
  
I clamped down onto the earth, lowering my body until I was barely ten feet above it. {Shadow, pour as much power as you can into the generator. Liger, are you sure that we're as safe as possible?} *Roger.* [Affirmative.] {Well, here we go.}  
  
Violet-blue light gathered around the small barrel extending from the mouth of the red Liger. Indigo light formed in a ball around the Fury, and with a roar, the balls flew forward!  
  
Blue-white ground against indigo, keening and whining. The beam of white stretched back to us; I ground my teeth as I pushed harder. I had done the tactical planning in all of our battles, Shadow had increased the capabilities and shifted the power flow, and Liger was the one who was most comfortable with this bonding. I had thought we were unbeatable, and here I had finally found a rival. Not for long, though, not for long.  
  
I felt the beam of the Fury slowly, slowly, ever so slowly inch forward, pushing me backwards, I felt the armor cracking and flaking off, much like the armor on my Zaber Fang had when I had gotten stuck in the shield of Van's Shield Liger. I felt Drakans's triumph, and Fury's sadness.  
  
NO! I couldn't let Drakan win! Somewhere, somehow, there HAD to be some power I could feed into the beam! {Shadow? More power!} An awful pause. *There is none.* he answered finally, sounding so drained and weary my heart would break, if I was not feeling the same weariness. The beam of Drakan came forward, until it was only fifteen feet in front of me.  
  
I closed my eyes and apologized to the universe at large, that I could not stop Drakan. Within that moment..... I found power. If I were destined to die here, on this field, it would not be in vain. It would not be like so many who had died for the so-called glorious Empire, it would not be like Col. Schubaltz, it would not be like Rosso and Viola whom I had killed, it would not be like Marcus.  
  
I asked, in that moment, for Apollyon to help me. I felt his stirrings in my body, the lust for blood. He no longer felt like a sleeping dragon, he felt like a tiger, mindless and raging, and very, very angry. I saw the blood-red mist creeping over my eyes, and Apollyon roared with the Hellfire.  
  
It is time!  
  
A dark shadow erupted out the Liger Zero, flowing forward, snapping down onto the Fury, ripping apart the armor in the wildness of blood, and then-  
  
The beam shot forward, Apollyon ripped into the zoid core, reaching in, pulling Drakan out and throwing him to the ground. The guardian dragon dissipated, and spun into a tornado that was sucked back into the Liger.  
  
Everyone on Zi, no matter where they were, shielded their eyes from the bright white-blue light that surrounded the planet, and blinded some. The Blitz team dove to the floor as the Hovercargo was lifted into the air and thrown through the sky. "BIT! What the hell is Liger Zero!" came Leena's shriek. "I don't know!"  
  
The Fury's beam faltered, and finally canceled out. The person once known as Drakan fell to earth. With his last breath, he spoke. /So... you win... Dragon./ I smiled, knowing I was safe and so was the rest of Zi, before all was darkness and pain and confusion.  
  
FS- Did you like it? What do you think I should do for the next chapter? I'm leaning toward a massive Backdraft attack 'cause they're trying to get the Hellfire, and you'd find out why the Hellfire's name is Hellfire. 


	13. Default 13

Miles away, in the gothic-jagged-creepy-place HQ of the Backdraft, the Count watched with open mouth as the Berserk Fury was sent to dust. His secretary person skidded in. "Count, the Committee of Seven wishes for you to mobilize all the troops of the Backdraft to get the Liger Zero!" He nodded wordlessly before turning and going into the souped-up Gojulas that was their portable base, with the Committee of Seven following.  
  
Shadow was worried. Raven was unconscious, sprawled on the zoid core. His skin was milky white, with the red tattoo standing lividly out of the white. The eyes were rolled back into his head, and he was silent and still. The Hellfire's black wings beat steadily around him, as he picked up his master. *Liger, how much longer can you keep the Hellfire going?* The answer was wearied and somber. [About fifteen minutes.] Shadow cursed.  
  
The Blitz Team picked themselves up off the floor. Jamie was ashen, but not too weak to stagger over to the computer. Loud beeping filled their ears as Jamie shouted in fear, "The Backdraft's coming!" Brad snapped, "How many troops?" Jamie said somberly, "Three thousand Iron Kongs with heavy artillery, four thousand Command Wolves, six thousand Helcats, five hundred Lightning Siax, and one Gojulas." Leena screeched in fear, "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"  
  
Bit shut his eyes and focused on Liger. Liger would save them, he had to. But the cold edge of truth cut into his thoughts. No zoid, no matter how powerful or strong, could stand up to thirteen thousand five hundred one zoids; much less beat them.  
  
The Hellfire swooped into the north, where dust was rising. The squad commanders looked up at the blood-red zoid flying above them with powerful strokes of its dark wings. The Iron Kongs targeted it and fired. The Hellfire flickered out of sight, streaking through the dusty skies, diving low and going through the battalions of Iron Kongs, making them explode and rain shrapnel.  
  
Jamie snapped, "Destruction of all Iron Kongs confirmed!" The Blitz Team gaped, and running through the minds of everyone on Zi was one word. How?! How could one zoid destroy three thousand in less than five seconds? Even the legendary Death Stinger couldn't do that!  
  
Raven's eyes flickered open and Shadow reeled back. Not again, never again. His eyes were dead, except for the fog that drifted across his mind. Not again, he didn't want to relive those four years in the desert, where Raven's mind was gone.  
  
I drift. That's the best word for it. Black shadows dart across the endless gray fog. One shadow moves closer, materializing into a wraith. It's Shadow! Silently, he speaks. *Get up! You're not trapped in a battle with a Liger, Van died centuries ago. Wake up, come back to the living. The Backdraft's attacking us!* What!  
  
Shadow yelled at Raven, while the Hellfire swooped over the Backdraft's forces, reveling in the futility of their attacks. Raven jerked upright, staring around him. "Shadow?"  
  
"Shadow?" He nodded and spoke. *There's still ten-thousand five hundred one troops to deal with!* I cursed to the sky, and had an idea. "Shadow, why's this form called Hellfire?" He closed his sky-blue eyes and tied into the system. Ten minutes passed as I felt Shadow racing madly through thousands of battle's data. He opened his eyes and answered. *I can't explain it. I do know this. We need to force all those troops into a confined area.* I nodded and hooked into the map system.  
  
There was a wide canyon with a circular area at its end. None of those puny zoids could get out of there, if I could block it. The rock was fairly loose, and wouldn't be too hard to break. I sent the coordinates to Hellfire along with a request to let the troops follow us.  
  
I winced at the scathing rebuke that followed. Hellfire didn't understand reasoning, nor did he want to. He was filled with the wildness of a hunt, the smell of blood. Hellfire! Just trust me on this! He sullenly agreed. I smiled, before getting yanked back with the G-forces.  
  
The commander snapped at his troops, "Follow it! Just don't let it get away!" The blood red Liger landed, folding its wings with a snap. It whisked around, slashing through a Lightning Siax, and ran to the north.  
  
Jamie geared the Hovercargo and followed. Bit ran to his room, where he had a laptop. Huh? There was an email flashing on the screen, which he opened. A video popped up on the screen. Liger Zero was looking at him. From the date, the email had been recorded about five days ago. A voice penetrated into his mind as he watched the Liger. *This is Liger Zero. Well, one-third of Liger Zero, anyway. Listen carefully; get out of the Hovercargo and head to this location at coordinates A-7, Z-3. It's the best place to watch what going to happen.* Bit nodded quickly, unsure what Liger wanted. *Good. If the Hovercargo follows, so much the better. There's a downed Lightning Siax about fifty yards to the northwest. Hurry!*  
  
Bit ran to an outer door and slipped through it, running to the Lightning Siax. It responded to his touch, barely giving him enough time to buckle up before racing to the north, following the dust cloud.  
  
Jamie looked at the radar, seeing a lone Lightning Siax running across the dusty plain. He brought up a com-link, and screeched when he saw Bit. "Bit! Where on Zi are you going!?" Bit answered as he steered a completely unknown zoid effortlessly, "Liger told me in a message to go to coordinates A-7, Z-3. I don't know why, but he seemed preoccupied. It doesn't really matter if you come, but he'd like it if you would." Everyone glanced at each other uneasily. Taking orders from a zoid? That went against their sensibilities, but they had no choice. Jamie altered the course. 


	14. Default 14

FS- Thank you for your reviews, except for one person. *Death-Glares* To the anonymous reader, I am not an idiot. Yes, while Shadow may be better suited to the Berserk Fury, I wanted a new twist. Plus, the Liger Zero defeated the Fury, and I like the Berserk Fury better than Liger Zero. I thought that I should put Shadow in the most powerful zoid, therefore giving him the largest playing field for his and Raven's various talents. However, you are entitled to your opinion. To the rest of you, THANK YOU! I've been having a bad day, and you kept me from going over the edge. *Hands out cupcakes* enough with my blathering, on to the story!  
  
The Apocalypse  
  
Bit brought the coordinates up on radar before blasting off in a roar of dust. He skidded to a stop on the lip of a canyon, watching the Command Wolves, Helcats, Gojulas, and Siaxes run blindly into a cul-de-sac, while the red Liger bounded straight up the cliff. The Hovercargo pulled up beside Bit, screeching horribly as its brakes ground.  
  
Jamie contacted the red Liger, tapping the keys furiously. :Liger Zero?: Silence on the airwaves. The crimson Liger turned around, folding its wings into its back with a brisk snap. The two blades folded onto its back, and swung to face forward. A terse message scrolled across the screen. /Stay back./  
  
Two beams shot across the canyon, hitting the opposite wall and digging deep into the rock. A thin, hairline crack spread out across the wall, thinner than a spider's web, and stopped. It was still, as with a groan and creak, the wall fell to pieces, trapping the Backdraft. Bit watched with grim satisfaction as the Backdraft was ensnared in the canyon.  
  
I smiled before yelling to Shadow, "What do I do now?" Shadow answered, *You need to think of destruction, and the stuff you did. Hurry, we only have sixty seconds before Hellfire reverts back to Liger!* Ye gods, how many more times am I going to have remember horrible stuff? I sighed heavily before shutting my eyes. I suppose if it gets rid of the Backdraft, it doesn't matter what I think. But where to start?  
  
I skid to a stop in the Genosaurer, and clamp down. The adrenaline surges as the Genosaurer bends down, the indigo light gathering. It sears through the blue sky, ending life in an instant. I do not care. The familiar smirk spreads across my face. Shadow bends down, letting me slide to the ground.  
  
Fire.  
  
The reek of burning flesh.  
  
Blood.  
  
Corpses, twisted in silent agony.  
  
The images rush faster, flickering across my mind's eye.  
  
Fire, over and over again.  
  
Insanity.  
  
It's all that I am, all that I ever was.  
  
Insanity.  
  
A heart-rending howl tore from the blood red Liger. A howl of fury, rage, and guilt. The howl went on and on, a never-ending tribute to death.  
  
-and it was not sane.  
  
Then- fire, elemental, unstoppable, came to earth.  
  
It exploded out of the sky and drove down in the troops of the Backdraft like the hammer of the gods; it spewed up from the ground like a scarlet waterfall in reverse. The ground flames came and met the downrushing red of the sky-fires. Within seconds, the entire battlefield had been turned into a furnace, an inferno; the flames exploded outward, and grew faster than a Raynos could fly.  
  
The maelstrom of flame pulsed, like a spasming heart, and soldiers were sucked, screaming, into the flames.....  
  
The ZBC and Blitz Team watched in terror, the flames had a voice. It howled like millions of damned souls. It had a mind, and the mind was mad.  
  
The flames raged, vortices with the grace of a dancer and the appetite of a demon. The light was red, flickering, hellish.  
  
The firestorm raged for only an hour, but when the flames died down, nothing was left. No zoids, no people, no rock. Just an endless gray plain of ash and dust. Nothing grew there, and nothing would again, for eternity. Liger Zero, himself once more, lay crumpled on the ground. He glowed golden, before a bolt of lightning flew upward and hit the ground, materializing into a black dinosaur, with wings and sky-blue eyes.  
  
The dinosaur wavered unsteadily, before it fell with a crash. Then another bolt of lightning came out, this time turning into a young man, with shaggy gray hair and purple-gray eyes. He grimaced, baring his teeth at the shocked people of Zi, even those watching on television, before he limped over to the black dinosaur, lifting it up easily and swinging it onto his shoulders. Liger Zero scrambled to his feet and moved to the boy and dinosaur. Liger, dinosaur, and man glowed golden before merging. Everyone there was silent and still, with only four words running through his or her mind. WHAT IS GOING ON? 


	15. Default 15

The ZBC's Whaleking landed, as troops ran to the Liger. The Liger roared angrily before turning and running to the west. However, it didn't get far before crashing to dust. The troops quickly threw electric nets over the Liger, as it struggled weakly before laying its head to the sand. Jamie quickly set up a communications channel to the ZBC. "What on Zi do you think you're doing!" he shrieked in the com-link. The Chairman smiled smugly. "We are confiscating the Liger Zero for testing. You will get it back, if you're lucky."

Bit was still, rage flowing through him. Liger Zero had saved the people of Zi's freakin' asses** twice! **And now they were going to take him for testing? The once gleaming white Liger was scratched and dented, with the armor literally falling apart before his eyes. A weak message penetrated into his mind. [Bit! Don't fight; they'll destroy you. I promise, I won't let them kill me. An Ultimate X never breaks his promise. ]

The mighty Liger's head drooped and fell to the earth, as the gleam of fire in his eyes flickered and went out. Bit was silent, frozen in grief, as were all the people of Zi, except for the ZBC. The Liger was dragged into the Whaleking, and taken to their laboratory. 

The Liger Zero finished sending his message and watched Raven and Shadow. They were both knocked out, curled up with expressions of pain on their faces. Liger was sympathetic, they were all in agony and exhausted. It was the exhaustion where you couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't do anything except lay there and listen to the wild pounding of your heart.

The Chairman relaxed in his seat and smiled. They had the Liger Zero in their grasp, a zoid that was more powerful than the Ultrasaurus. He watched lazily as technicians swarmed over the Liger. The door slid open and an intern walked in. "Sir, the Liger Zero seems to have shielded itself against our probes." He cursed and ordered, "Put it in a holding cell. We'll wait."

I opened my eyes a crack, and immediately shut them. Bright light was flooding my vision, so I contacted Liger. {Liger?} Silence, and then a weak answer. [Yeah?] {Where are we?} [The ZBC took us. We're in a holding cell. Shadow's still out. I used up my last energy sending a message to Bit.] I lay back, and waited.

"How is he?" Jamie asked. "Not good." Doc said. "Losing Liger Zero hit him hard." Bit heard them talking and smiled bitterly. They thought they could make him feel better? He had lost his best friend, his partner, his buddy. He recognized now that Liger Zero wasn't, and never had been, his zoid. He was Liger's human. Bit lay back on his bed, and looked at his favorite picture. It was one of him sitting on Liger's back as Liger roared happily. It was the one taken after they had beaten the Zaber Fangs in their first battle together. Liger, for the first time, had shown his true power, only to be snatched away. 

The door opened and Doc walked in. "Bit, you need to eat." "Not hungry." He mumbled. Doc looked at him with a worried frown before turning and leaving. Brad, Jamie, and Leena met him and chorused, "No food?" The doorbell rang loudly. 

Leena opened it and gasped, "Vega Obscura?!" The thirteen-year old smiled before greeting them, "I heard about the Liger Zero. I know something about the Liger. I'll tell you all, but first I want to talk to Bit." They looked at each other and shrugged. Maybe talking to another Ultimate X pilot would make him feel better. "Down the hall, second right." "Thanks."

Bit sat up and looked at Vega. "Hi." Vega said quietly. "I heard about Liger Zero. I'm very sorry. One question. I believe Liger promised he would come back?" Bit jerked upright. "Yeah," he said cautiously. "He did." Vega smiled. "Good. Then he will. Fury promised one day before he was found he'd take me to the bottom of the sea. It took three years, and he nearly killed himself in the process, but he kept his promise. Even if Liger dies in the process, he'll come back and see you before he dies." Bit nodded. "Okay. How do you know all this?" Vega said, "Come to the meeting room and I'll tell you." 

Bit and Vega walked into the room. Bit didn't seem totally happy, but not sad either. Vega was silent, and sat down. He wasn't wearing his weird suit anymore, just jeans and a t-shirt. Leena shoved a glass of water in front of him and demanded, "Talk."

I felt Shadow's stirrings and finally he heaved himself up. *Raven?* I smiled. {Shadow, we're at the ZBC lab.} He snorted. *We are, are we? We'll have to change that, won't we?* {Yeah.} [Affirmative.] We roared loudly, deafening the scientists in front of us.

A intern ran into the Chairman's room. "Sir, the Liger Zero's woken up, and it's not happy!" A person flew through the air outside the window, screaming as he splattered against the far wall. The Chairman winced.

I rampaged through the base, smashing walls and equipment left and right. I heard a screech, and looked up. The Chairman was up there! I smashed my head through the glass, grabbed the guy, and shook his like a cat might shake a mouse. *Whee, this is fun!* Shadow exclaimed. *Odd though, the Chairman doesn't seem to be enjoying it very much.* [Well DUH!] Liger said sarcastically. [This is his base we're destroying!] *His? Okay, I just got .001 percent angrier. Let's destroy it! Wahoo! I am Godzilla, fear me!* (A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist. :P)

Smoke rose from a lone base, where Godzilla, ahem, LIGER ZERO was raging. 


	16. Default 16

  
FS- *Says in a quick breath* I-own-Zoids! *Guys in white suits spring out of nowhere and put her in a straitjacket.* Ahh! I own it, I tell you! Muwhaha! Remember kids, don't mess with disclaimers, or you'll get put in a mental institution. ^_^

The Explanation 

"Talk." Leena demanded, shoving a glass of water in front of Vega. "Thank you." He said before taking a swig. "Okay. I'll start eight years ago." The Blitz Team glanced at each other before leaning forward.

"I think you all know how I was a Backdraft pilot? The only reason I stayed with them was because they had the Fury. Plus, Sarah was my guardian. Anyway, when I was five, I got a message from the Berserk Fury. Apparently, I was his chosen one, the only one who could bring out his full potential. He and I contacted each other regularly, waiting for the day when he was found." Jamie was furiously copying this down, for reasons unknown. Vega glanced at him before continuing.

"Anyway, I always thought I was an orphan. I had never known who my parents were; for all intents and purposes Sarah was my family. I worked for the Backdraft since I was two, and I was their best pilot. I think you noticed that Liger Zero didn't utterly destroy the Fury, as most zoids would have done. Do you know why?" he asked. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Because he and Liger have been best friends for over three hundred years. They were part of a small group of zoids that were all alive, that thought, that breathed, that felt pain and anger and sadness, in short, were like humans. There were only three zoids in the group, the rest were a organoid and two……… well, I'll tell you later." 

"The three were the Berserk Fury, the Liger Zero, and Shadowrage, the Death Wolf. Berserk Fury and Liger Zero you already know. Shadowrage is that golden-eyed wolf zoid that the Berserk Fury killed." Jamie asked an actual intelligent question. "Why did the Fury kill Shadowrage if they were best friends?" Vega sighed heavily. 

"Fury wasn't the one who killed him, or all those other zoids. It was an organic virus. I knew about it, because Fury's mind voice was a lot nicer before. I couldn't do anything about the virus, because the Backdraft made it on purpose. They knew the real Fury wouldn't do any of the atrocities they had planned, so they……… um, replaced him."

"The only reason I didn't pack up and leave was because Fury could contact me from time to time, although it nearly killed him fighting the virus for so long." Vega's expression grew wistful. "He used to tell me the most wonderful stories about life on Zi in the days of the Guardian Force. Well, he didn't contact me for a couple months, and I got worried."

"Finally, just when I was about insane with agonizing, he contacted me. The virus had been torturing him, in a sense. Anyway, he told me that some friends of his were going to try and liberate us. And they did, but at the cost of the life of Shadowrage."

I staggered across the desert, heat waves rising up and slapping me in the face. My boots weren't enough, but Liger was too drained to have us merge with him, and Shadow was exhausted, panting heavily as his metal feet dug into the sand. {God, the ZBC seems to be turning into the Backdraft all over again.} *Tell me about it.* Shadow agreed. Liger didn't say anything, just kept plodding along relentlessly. We turned our faces to the setting sun and trudged along to the west.

A black crumpled hulk rose out of the gray-brown desert. We stood still before running over to Shadowrage. He lifted his had and gasped, :Astarael…………: his tongue lolling helplessly. I turned her over and flinched; the eyes that had once held so much life were now dulled. "Raven………" I cradled her to my chest and snapped, {Shadow! Can you merge with Shadowrage long enough for us to get to the Blitz Team base?} He nodded before arcing upward. Shadowrage stood up, even though the gaping hole through his body was sparking and fizzing. *Raven?!* Shadow was worried. *The damages too severe, I can only keep him moving for about a half-hour.* {Good enough.} I broke into a jerky, trembling run, the one where you think you can't go another step, but you find the will to put one foot in front of the other

"What do you know about the original race of Zi?" Vega asked. "The zoidans?" Doc asked. Vega nodded an affirmative. "Um………" Doc ruminated. "You're hopeless." Jamie sighed. The Blitz Team nodded agreement.

"There were two races of zoidians. The first was powerful, but fairly common. Most of them were exterminated by the Deathsaurer. There was a second race, but they were deadly, rare, and primitive." Vega's jaw tightened at the word 'primitive'. "How do you figure that?" 

Jamie glanced at him. "They lived in clans, with a leader. The leader could be either a man or a woman. The second race was called the Wild, with the clans called after animals. They had a special bond with the zoids and organoids. Not much is known about them except these last few facts. They had a guardian spirit, which could easily destroy the legendary Death Stinger. They also went insane in battle, and wouldn't recognize their own side. In this state, they'd destroy anything."

Vega nodded. "Good. You know something about the Wild. Anyway, I know about the Liger and the power of it. The Liger Zero consists of three parts. There is the actual Liger Zero, the zoid. The black dinosaur you saw is Shadow, an organoid. The young man is a Wild zoidian. There are only three zoidians left."

"When these three merge, they become unstoppable. The Death Wolf is also three parts. The zoid, Shadowrage, is powerful by itself, but much better with the other two. The organoid is dead, his name was Blind Seer. He was the only wolf-type. The young woman is also a Wild zoidian."

The Blitz Team glanced at each other before walking to the Doc's office, while Vega waited in the conference room. "Doc? How does he know all this?" Doc shook his head. "We'll have to ask him." They went back into the room.

Leena sat forward. "Vega, how do you know all this?" Vega glanced up at her and smiled. "You'll find out." He stood up and exited, leaving to sit by the Fury, which was out on a cliff. 

"Fury?" he whispered. The deep bass voice of the Fury resounded in his mind. Yeah? "Did I do okay?" A rare wisp of the Fury's emotion filtered through his carefully neutral expression. (A/N: Can zoids have expressions?) This time it was affection for his Chosen, guilt for destroying Shadowrage, and the thinnest bit of rage at Drakan. Vega knew that the small amount of rage was, as the earth people would say, 'only the tip of the iceberg.'

You did very well Chosen. Not many I know could stand up to that kind of questioning, except for your mother or father. Vega smiled to himself, Fury almost never praised anyone, and even a small compliment was extraordinary. "Fury? Look at the sunset." The Berserk Fury obligingly turned his head to the west. It's beautiful isn't it? The red reminds me of Leena's hair. Vega shuddered as he remembered the psycho teen who had so mercilessly interrogated him. 

Fury's tail curled around, drawing Vega closer to his side. See the stars Chosen? The young pilot nodded. Your father loves to watch the stars, even though he can't explain it. They hold memories for him, I guess. "Really?" Fury snorted mentally. Come on, would I lie to you? Vega smirked. Sometimes the Fury reminded him of a teenager in a zoid's body, even though he was centuries old.

The Blitz Team gawked at the tender moment between a boy and his zoid. "But but I thought the Fury was evil and merciless!" Jamie spluttered. Doc, showing for (a rare moment) some intellect, replied, "That wasn't the Fury, that was the virus, remember? Jamie nodded assent.

A plume of dust rose on the horizon. Vega called "Fury!" The Fury dipped a claw down, grabbing Vega and holding him gently in his claws and streaking to the horizon. The Blitz Team followed, careening wildly over the desert.

TBC

FS- Okay! I have a **_VERY IMPORTANT_** question to ask my readers! What organoid do you think should be merged with the Berserk Fury?

Gandalf- Readers………… YOU……… SHALL………… REVIEW! *Strikes staff down on review button*


	17. Default 17

Vega was the first to arrive. The Liger Zero, without armor and only shreds of the joint caps, was lying on the sand; curled, staring with eyes frozen open. A young man, the one with gray-purple eyes and ebony hair was leaning against the Liger, cradling the limp form of a teenaged woman. The man looked up at them and focused his eyes blearily on Vega. He smiled before sliding down onto the sand.

The Fury looked at the crumpled hulk of Shadowrage, nudging it with his nose. The Blitz Team screeched up. Bit stared at the Liger's thin form, no armor, no weapons. He didn't care. Liger was home safe, and that was all that mattered. The teenager looked at Bit and whispered, "Hi, Bit," before falling into sleep. Vega kneeled by Shadowrage, mumbling to himself as he ran his hands over the zoid, stopping at a hook on one side. "Doc? Do you have rope?" 

The doc quickly produced some steel rope, and Vega thanked him before turning to the zoids. He ran it through the hook on Shadowrage's left side, tied a knot, and ran the rope over the Fury's back and through two hooks that luckily faced backwards. He tied more knots, and quickly looped the rope around the Liger Zero's massive head. Brad and Bit ran forward, lifted the boy and his companion up, and waited for Vega's orders.

"Put both of them in the Fury's cockpit. Fury, open all your boosters." Just before the Fury roared away, towing the two zoids, Vega grabbed a claw and swung, settling quite naturally on top of the arm. The Blitz Team ran back to the base and watched in shock as Vega easily lifted the two teenagers and headed to the infirmary. Doc hooked them both up to heart rate monitors and such, as they lay in the beds. Screaming from the hangar reached their ears. 

Shadow opened his eyes and ejected. A boy, Brad, and a girl, Leena, were staring, mouths agape, at him. As one, they opened their mouths and screamed. Vega walked in and slapped a hand over their mouths. "Shadow, Raven is in the infirmary, six doors to the left." Shadow nodded his thanks and ran to the infirmary.

Vega followed and smiled at the scene. Raven and Astarael were still holding hands, while Shadow curled up like a dog between the two beds. Doc was cowering in the corner, Brad and Leena were probably standing in the hangar in shock, Jamie was probably in the computer room, and Bit was sitting next to Liger. "Doc? Get out." Doc Tauros nodded and fled. 

Vega sat down in a chair and pulled up closer to Raven. He laid his head on Raven's chest and listened to the slow, steady thumping of his father's heart as it lulled him to sleep. 

Bit stuck his head in the door and smiled. It was a Kodak moment! The young man and his friend were holding hands, no matter that they were unconscious, the organoid was lying like a dog, and Vega was stretched out on the boy's chest, sleeping peacefully.

It was strange, he mused, how much younger all of them looked when they slept. Vega looked at least eight, the teenagers looked twelve, and the organoid just looked silly. The young man moved his head and lifted one eyelid. 

"Hi, Bit. Where's Liger?" Bit shook his head in bemusement and sat down. "You know my name?" "Yeah." he grunted. "Raven, at your service." Bit was left staring with his mouth slightly open. Raven, the Dark One? Raven, the pilot of the Destroyer? Raven, whose eyes had witnessed the destruction of so many people and zoids it was horrible to think about? Raven, the most deadly zoid pilot ever to walk the surface of Zi? The one who defeated the Death Stinger single-handedly and was a zoidian, a forgotten relic of Zi's past?

"Don't look so surprised." Raven whispered before looking down. "Ah, Vega." He lifted one hand and smoothed Vega's hair back into place. (A/N: Ah, fluffy father-son moment!) "You know him?" Bit queried. "Yeah, I do. Where's Liger?" Bit shook his head before moving to the side of the bed. Raven carefully shifted Vega's head off his chest and swung to his feet. "He's in the hangar."

Raven quickly jogged out, with a procession of freaked-out people following him. Jamie, Doc, Brad, Leena, Bit, all turned into the hangar and gaped. Raven was sitting with his legs crossed and Liger's huge head in his lap. Well really, just the tip of the nose. Raven was stroking Liger Zero as one might a cat, and muttering to him, "Liger, Liger, Liger. You didn't have to do that you know. You might have…………" Here he choked, laying his head on top of Ligers, "died. I couldn't stand it if you died, and neither could Shadow." (A/N: More fluffy moments!) The massive zoid moved one claw, gently laying it on top of Raven's shoulder. 

Raven miraculously was unaffected by the massive weight of the zoid. "As soon as I get my strength back, I'm going to get you some better armor, one that can stand up better to fights. I'm so sorry you had to use up all your strength like that. Go to sleep and heal, please!" Liger rumbled contently and laid his head on the ground.

"A lullaby? You want a lullaby?! Sorry, nope." The Liger cranked one eye open and glanced wickedly at him before growling. Raven sighed defeatedly. "Fine, fine. What do you want?" Liger growled sleepily. "Eeerg! Again? But I just did that one last night!" The Liger growled. "Okay, okay. I'll do the one about the Riders at the Gate and the one about the war. But you have to promise me not to move." They watched as Raven hummed softly and sadly,

"Riders at the gate! There are riders at the gate!"

Cried the herald, who could not wait. 

The king called his lords, and found the fate,

That they should go and battle the riders at the gate. 

And the war was waged, with the sinking of the sun,

But still was the king, who was only one.

For crimson splashed the good hard earth,

And a thousand died, who had proved their worth.

For fallen was the king,

Of whom many will sing,

And thunder rang as the good King died,

And stars tumbled out of the evening skies,

And the crash of the war was a dreadful sound,

And crimson stained the cold hard ground.

And all who fell, with a sharp cold pain,

Added their blood to the crimson rain.

But the battle was won,

With the rising of the sun,

But going, going, was the King.

They found him with the sword

And gave him sworn word,

That this battle would always be sovereign.

And so with the fates,

They gave their King,

And entrusted with him, 

The cold hard earth.

And the minstrels still sing, 

Of the fall of the king,

"We fall that you may ride.

Remember, remember."

For thousands fell, 

And filled the well.

O the battle, the battle of the Riders at the gates."

Liger Zero rumbled drowsily. Raven grimaced. "Alright, I did promise. Now the story of the Great War.

We heard of the horns in the hills ringing,

The swords shining in the south-kingdom.

Steeds went striding in the Stoningland, 

As wind in the morning. War was kindled.

There the King fell, Monarch mighty.

To his golden halls and green pastures,

In the northern fields never returning,

High lord of the host. Harding and Guthlaf,

Dunhere and Dourwine, doughty Grimbold,

Herefara and Herubrand, Horn and Fastred,

Fought and fell there in a far country:

In the mounds of Mundberg under mould they lie

With their league-fellows, lords of Gondor. 

Neither Hirluin the Fair to the hills by the sea,

Nor Forlong the Old to the flowering vales

Ever, to Arnach, to his own country

Returned in triumph; Nor the tall bowmen,

Derufin and Duilin, to their dark waters,

Meres of Morthond under mountain-shadows.

Death in the morning and at day's ending

Lords took and lowly. Long now they sleep

Under grass in Gondor by the Great River.

Grey now as tears, gleaming silver,

Red then it rolled, roaring water:

Foam dyed with blood flamed at sunset;

As beacon mountains burned at evening;

Red fell the dew in Ranmas Echor."

Liger Zero was quiet, sleeping. Raven stood up and looked at their surprised faces. "What? He likes Lord of the Rings." They choked as he strode past them to the infirmary. 


	18. Default 18

A/N: This is the last chappy! Really bug me and I may put up another sequel!

Dedication: This story and its prequel is dedicated to Firefox, for always keeping me motivated with her constant 'I love Ravens' and all. This one's for you! 

I smiled as I looked down on the sleeping figure of my son. He flopped over and muttered. "Vega?" His gray eyes opened and stared blearily at me. "Hi, Dad." The Blitz Team choked in surprise. I called "Astarael?" She muttered, "Don…… wanna wake up." I grinned evilly and began tickling her. She sputtered and laughed helplessly. "Rave……… stop!" I sat back and watched her. She grinned and sat up. Her eyes widened as she looked at Vega, who was standing behind me. "Hi Mom." He said shyly. "Hey, son." 

Shadow laughed as he saw the reunited family start merrily insulting each other. He creaked to his feet and nudged Raven. *Shouldn't we be figuring out what to do with the ZBC?* Raven sighed and turned. "Bit." Bit snapped to attention. "Yes, Mr. Raven, sir?" The Dark One groaned and waved it off. "Don't call me Mister. It makes me sound old. You _are_ my pilot, after all. Can you get me a link to the ZBC?" Bit nodded and set up one. 

The Chairman's harassed face showed up. "Yes?" His face hardened. "If you know where the Liger Zero is, you'd better tell me!" Raven walked up. "Call me Raven. I am part of the zoid Liger Zero. If you ever hurt my pilot again, I will summon Apollyon and destroy you utterly. Do I make myself clear?!" The Chairman's ashen face nodded quickly. "Good." Raven switched off. "Vega, where's the Fury?" Vega grabbed his hand and tugged him to where the massive zoid was standing. "FURY!" :Dragon!!: The shocked Blitz Team saw the enthusiastic reunion between Raven, Shadow, Astarael, and the Fury.

Raven sat in the conference room, with Astarael on one side and Vega on the other. Bit sat down and began. "Raven, am I a good pilot?" The zoidian smiled and replied, "Yeah. One of the best. You could have beaten Van Flyheight, easy." Bit leapt up with a startled yelp. 

"YOU knew Van Flyheight, defeater of the Deathsaurer, Death Stinger, and Leader of the Guardian Force?!" Raven growled softly. "He did not defeat the Death Stinger. The Gravity Cannon did at first, and I defeated and killed it the second time, just me, Shadow, and Hellfire." 

"But you knew him!?" The zoidian smiled sadly. "Yes. I hated him at first, for impeding me in my path of destruction, but let's just say he grew on me." Loud, fake snoring interrupted his answer. Raven glared at Astarael who was snoring loudly. "A-HEM! Aren't you forgetting something?" She shook her head. "Nope." Raven grinned wickedly. "You should be repairing Shadowrage." Astarael sat up, choked, and ran out of the room. Raven sighed happily, "Never fails to work."

Real snores interrupted him. Vega was asleep, with a small smile on his face. "Guess I was too boring for him." Raven picked him up and said apologetically, "Do you have a room we can borrow?" Bit snapped shut his hanging jaw and led Raven to an empty bedroom.

2 Weeks later…………

Shadow growled happily as he ran around the base, with a rabid Leena chasing him. "SHADOW! YOU ARE SO DEAD!" Leena screeched. She ran into a rock-hard chest and fell backwards. "Shadow been stealing your donuts? Here." The ancient zoidian tossed a clump of money at her. 

April 22-I laughed at the shocked expression of psycho-girl's face before going to visit Liger. He was up and fully running again, thanks to hard work on Shadow's part and mine. We had gotten a duplicate of the white armor, repaired the other armors, and were having a nice, long vacation. 

The ZBC was cowering away from us, and the corrupted leader was replaced with………… Doc Tauros! Yeah, the nutty professor is one of the most powerful men on the planet. Real irony, isn't it? Oh well, he's managed to collect most of the zoid models out there, and is currently lusting after a limited edition model of us! Yeah, Liger Zero. 

Shadow somehow-or-other managed to terrorize a bakery into giving him a lifetime supply of donuts and cookies. Last time I checked, his favorite flavor was chocolate chip. He and Leena are pretty much best friends now, owing to all the sweets they've consumed together. 

Brad has so much money now, he can never complain again. Except for when Shadow eats all his coffee. Then he's even scarier than Leena, if that's even possible!

Shadowrage, after much wheedling and promises of food, has made a full recovery. He's a lot quieter now. I think his near-death experience sobered him up a lot. 

As for Vega, he joined the Blitz Team! We're tearing through the ranks of Class S like wildfire. Pretty much no one wants to fight us anymore, what with us having three ancient zoidians on our team, two Ultimate X's, an organoid, a bunch of money, and the feared reputation of the Dark One.

Fury? It turned out the organoid inside him was Blind Seer as well. Or rather, the copy. When I actually saw the copy for the first time, it was strange. One eye is missing, along with a leg and an ear, scars from when Reese killed the original by hiring a sniper with a Charged Particle Gun.

Bit and I have become good friends in the past weeks. He's actually a lot smarter than you'd think. He's gotten really quiet and thoughtful after the Royal Cup. I think he sees that battle isn't all a game. 

Astarael? We're engaged now! She sprung the question on me a week ago at dinner. Leena screeched, Bit smiled into his soup, Vega choked, Brad was stoic, Jamie started freaking about the wedding, and Doc……… was, well, Doc. The wedding is in two weeks, at the site of the former Zoid Eve.

The teenager finished writing in the journal and closed it. He walked into the base and the door shut. A loud party was starting. Brad got drunk, Harry ran away in fear after Shadow bit his butt on Leena's orders, Leena gorged on cookies, Doc was building a model, Jamie was happily making new strategies, Vega was reading a book, and Raven and Astarael danced together, their battles against the remnants of evil(and Harry, who is evil) at last coming to a close.

Vega looked up. A smile graced his lips as he whispered, "And they all lived happily ever after." 

**OWARI** 


End file.
